Shoe-knife



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA MERRITT, OF ABINGTCN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELE, AND L. S. MER- RITT, 0F SOUTH WEYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOE-KNIFE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 24,354, dated June '7, 1859*; Ressued March 19, 186'?, No. 2,520.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA MERRITT, of Abington, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Extensible- Blade Knife, more particularly adapted to the use of boot and shoe makers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a view of the knife with the blade partially extended. Fig. 2, a longitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3, a detail to be referred to hereafter.

Persons engaged in cutting out stock in boot and shoe manufactories, and the shoemakers themselves find a great inconvenience from the rapid wearing out of the cutting knife which they employ, as the nature of the stock on which they operate requires a frequent sharpening of the knife, so that no sooner has the operative become accustomed to a blade of a certain length than he finds it wearing away under his use, soon requiring to be replaced by another of considerably greater length than the one he has just resigned. These frequent changes interfere materially with the neat and accurate manipulation which an artisan acquires by the continued use of a tool to which his hand has become accustomed.

The object of my present invention is to obviate this difficulty, and to produce a knife for the above and similar purposes, the blade of which as it is worn away by use, may be drawn out fart-her from the handle, and thus be kept at such an uniform length as may suit the taste of the person using it; and in which the blade when worn away may be easily replaced by another of a similar form,V or by one of a different form suited to'difierent kind of work.

That others skilled in the art may understand and use my invention I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In the said drawings A, is a handle of wood in which is insertedlongitudinally a metal tube a, which extends at each end a short distance beyond the wood. At one end this tube has cut around its outer surface a. groove c, in which fit pins d, passing through the edge of a metal nut B, on the end of the handle, the nut is thus held in place but may be turned around freely in either direction.

Vit-hin the tube a, is placed a long slim piece of metal D, which has cut in it longitudinally for nearly the whole of its length a slit e, to receive the blade C, thus forming a pair of nippers. This piece D, has formed on its upper end a screw j', which engages with the nut B, so that by turning the nut in one direction the piece D is thrust out farther from the opposite end of the tube a., or by turning the nut in the other direction the piece is retracted. The end of the piece D opposite to the screw, or that which I may term the lower or outer end is somewhat enlarged forming a bulb g, made of such a diameter that when the blade is inserted in the slit e, the jaws l and 2, of the nippers shall be somewhat wider than the bore of the tube al. If now the piece D, be retracted by turning the nut B, the inclined faces of the bulb g, will be drawn against the edge of the tube a, and the nippers will be pressed tightly on the blade, securing it firmly in any position the operator may elect. It only requires that the nut be turned in the opposite direction to release the blade, when it can either be drawn out farther from the handle or be removed to be replaced by another, or if required the blade may be pushed back into the handle, occupying the slit e, when the aws l, and 2, may be closed over its point, and the knife can be safely carried about the person.

For some kinds of work, a blade shaped as shown in Fig. 3, is preferred; itwill readily be seen that such a blade may be adapted to the same handle, the portion L of the knife being made to fit in the slit c, and this part may be so formed if required that when the broad part Z, of the blade has been worn away the portion L, may be converted into a blade similar to the blade C, by merely breaking off the portion Z, at the shoulder 5.

What I claim as my invention and deside to secure by Letters Patent is- The within described knife holder in combination with an eXtensible bladeso arranged that as the blade is worn it may be protruded as set forth for the purpose described.

y IRA MERRITT. IVit-nesses TI-Ios. R. RoAoH, Trios. L. GLovER. 

